Learning Module

Coastal Flooding and Sea Level Rise: Understanding, Monitoring and Action

Sea level rise is a global phenomenon that is affecting communities throughout the world, including those along the Gulf of Maine. What causes this flooding and how can communities monitor, respond to and plan for these events?

Students explore these questions as they move through three learning modules:

  • Part 1: Understanding the Causes of Sea Level Rise and What is Means for Our Community

  • Part 2: Monitoring Coastal Flooding Through Community Science

  • Part 3: Building a Climate Resilient Community through Decision Making and Action
Coastal Flooding.jpg
Teacher's Guide Resource Link Icon

Learning Outcomes

  • Sea level rise and coastal flooding are increasingly frequent events impacting our coastal communities
  • Communities can become more resilient by understanding the causes of these events, monitoring the specific impacts of flooding where they live and working together to make decisions to mitigate the impacts of sea level rise
  • Students and educators can play important roles in decision making processes to make their communities more resilient to coastal flooding and sea level rise.

Time Estimate
16+ class periods

Audience
5-8

Standards Alignment

Many communities are already engaged with work around local climate action and coastal flooding resilience, we recommend reaching out to your town office to find out what activities are already underway. GMRI staff can also help connect you with partners, provide curriculum resources such as the Planning Forward materials and support planning for community science monitoring during expected high-tide flooding events. Learn more about the Community Science aspect of this project at Ecosystem Investigation Network - Coastal Flooding: Storms and Sea Level Rise.

Note that this curriculum includes three distinct modules, each focused on a specific aspect of understanding, monitoring and preparing for coastal flooding and sea level rise. These modules are designed to be used sequentially, but may also be used on their own depending on the needs of educators and their students.

The modules include:

  • Part 1: Understanding the Causes of Sea Level Rise and What is Means for Our Community
  • Part 2: Monitoring Coastal Flooding Through Community Science
  • Part 3: Building a Climate Resilient Community through Decision Making and Action

Part 1: Understanding the Causes of Sea Level Rise and What it Means for Our Community

Lesson 1: Our Community, Developing a Sense of Place

Students work together to identify and reflect on what they value about their community

Lesson Slides | Student Notebook | Teacher Guide

Lesson 2: Modeling our Community

Students create a model of the coastline in their community

Lesson Slides | Student Notebook | Teacher Guide

Lesson 3: Exploring Sea Level Trends

Students examine the trends in global sea level rise by analyzing long term datasets first in small pieces and then all together.

Lesson Slides | Graphing Sea Level Rise Data Set | Student Notebook | Teacher Guide

Lesson 4: Coastal Flooding Contributing Factors: Sea Level Rise

Students examine the causes of sea level rise.

Lesson Slides | Data Sheet | Student Notebook | Teacher Guide

Lesson 5: Contributing Factors: Tides and Storm Surge

Students examine additional causes of sea level rise.

Lesson Slides | Sun Moon Earth Cards | Student Notebook | Teacher Guide

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Part 2: Monitoring Coastal Flooding Through Community Science

Lesson 1: How Can We Predict Coastal Flooding?

Students learn about the affordances and limitations of different models predicting sea level rise and make choices about where and how they will monitor their own community for coastal flooding.

Lesson Slides | Student Notebook | Teacher Guide

Lesson 2: Developing Fieldwork Skills

Students learn how to spot signs of coastal flooding and categorize different types of floods.

Lesson Slides | Field Work Skills Stations | Date Collection Protocols | Student Notebook | Teacher Guide

Lesson 3: Go Out and Collect Data!

Students go out into their community during a predicted high tide or storm surge event and make observations following the community science protocol.

Teacher Guide

Lesson 4: Share Your Observations

Students compile observations and submit their data to the coastal flooding community science project.

Lesson Slides | Student Notebook | Teacher Guide

Lesson 5: Flooding Thresholds

Students interpret their data to begin formulating ideas around a flooding threshold for their community.

Lesson Slides | Student Notebook | Teacher Guide

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Part 3: Building a Climate Resilient Community through Decision Making and Action

Lesson 1: Coastal Flooding and Our Community

Students explore strategies to help communities such as their own become more resilient to sea level rise and coastal flooding. Reach out to GMRI for a copy of the Planning Forward Resources.

Lesson Slides | Resilience Type Handout | Student Notebook | Teacher Guide

Lesson 2: Planning Forward

Students work together using the Planning Forward tool to plan a resilient community in the face of anticipated coastal flooding and sea level rise. Reach out to GMRI for a copy of the Planning Forward Resources.

Lesson Slides | Planning Forward Facilitator's Guide - Teacher Edition | Community Roles List | Card Connections Key | Teacher Guide

Lesson 3: Engaging in Civic Action to Build a Resilient Community

Students engage in civic action to help make their community more resilient to the effects of sea level rise and coastal flooding.

Lesson Slides | Civic Action in Coastal Flooding Planner | Coastal Flooding Elevator Pitch Template | Teacher Guide